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LET'S GO ON A SNIPE HUNT!

2/28/2015

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Most of us at one time or another have probably been invited on a mythical "Snipe Hunt" by some of our more "devious" friends. The "hunt" can involve several methods of "hunting'. One involves going into the woods at night with blankets, and you, the novice new hunter, will be shown how to sit quietly under the blanket and be prepared to throw the blanket over the snipe when you hear them scratching nearby.The others "spread out", but actually move away and hide with you in sight. They then throw pebbles near you and watch you foolishly throw your blanket to catch the birds--or they may retreat to the comfort of home, leaving you to the hunt--or they may ask you to hold a bag a certain way while they go about "driving the snipe" into the bag--of course leaving you alone holding the bag in the dark!


The Wilson's Snipe or Common Snipe is one of North America's most common shorebirds. Yet because of their highly patterned brown and buff coloration and highly secretive behavior, many of us have never seen one. They demonstrate the reality of camouflage as well as or better than most species. i have frequently been looking directly at one, glance away, and have them "disappear" when I look back even though they have not moved!


They live and forage in muddy field edges, creek edges, or other similar settings. They feed on earthworms and other invertebrates by probing the mud with their long beaks. They can eat without removing their beak from the soil because the tip can open independently from the base.


They nest in shallow scrapes in the soil which are lined with grasses, and frequently near or surrounded by water. Usually have 4 eggs which are tended only by the female until they fledge, at which time the male takes the oldest pair and the female the youngest until they are able to be independent.


These birds are all over our area with Eastern NC having much perfect habitat for them. The pictures below were taken at the Pungo Wildlife Refuge. I see them frequently there and at Lake Mattamuskeet. Now that you know what they look like, perhaps you will be more successful on your next Snipe Hunt!! Enjoy the pics below.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE ARROWS TO SCROLL THROUGH PICS.

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PILEATED WOODPECKERS

2/17/2015

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The bird that has been most challenging for me to photograph is the Pileated Woodpecker. The deciduous forests of eastern North Carolina with many large and older trees presents the perfect habitat for this largest of our woodpeckers. And they are here in good numbers. Their presence is quite obvious by their loud, whining call and the frequent noisy drumming they do to proclaim their territory. I am seldom in the woods without hearing both. I occasionally even see them, but it is usually just a glimpse flying away through the woods, or a shadowy peek at them in their favorite pose against a tree trunk, usually moving to the opposite side of the trunk from me.


They are one of our most striking and impressive birds, about crow-sized, black with a white stripe down the neck and a brilliant red crest. The male has red stripes on his cheeks. The underwings are white.


They prefer old growth deciduous forests with lots of dead trees, stumps, and fallen logs because these areas support their favorite foods-carpenter ants-which they excavate with their long beaks and long, sticky tongue. They also eat beetle larvae, termites and other wood boring insects. They will eat fruits and nuts, especially in winter when insects may be scarce. Such foods as sumac, poison oak and ivy berries are commonly consumed in winter.


They nest in large, square tree cavities, 3-5 eggs, and mate for life. Their nests are used only once and become a major shelter/nest for many other species including swifts, owls, ducks, pine martens, etc. The oldest known one was around 12 years.


The best(easiest) time to photograph them is in mid-winter when they are hungriest and must seek food out and away from the security of the tree trunk, usually seeking fruit from such as  poison ivy berries. All the leaves are gone and they are more easily seen. Some of the pictures below show how they expose themselves as they are out on the limbs of a pecan tree trying to reach poison ivy berries on a large vine growing up the tree. Find these berries in the winter and you will see this impressive bird. Check out the pics below taken in an old pecan tree at the edge of The Field.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDEARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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